The present invention relates to a pull-out system comprising at least two pull-out guides, wherein each pull-out guide comprises a stationary rail and at least one rail that can be moved relative to the stationary rail, and means for synchronising the movement of at least one movable rail.
WO 2012/065880 discloses a pull-out guide in which a middle rail is provided between a running rail and a guide rail, and the movement of the rails is controlled via a cable-operated control system. It can thus be avoided that during a movement of the running rails the rails will slip relative to each other and an oblique positioning of a drawer element occurs in the case of such slippage. In addition, striking noises can thus also be reduced considerably. Although such a cable-operated control unit can control the movement of the middle rail and the running rail relative to the guide rail, the problem may occur, especially in wide drawer elements, that the pull-out guides on opposite sides are moved in an offset manner, and an undesirable oblique positioning of the drawer element will occur.
EP 2 165 624 discloses a synchronous guide for a drawer element comprising a coupling rod in order to synchronise the movement of the rails of two mutually spaced pull-out guides. The problem can occur in such rigid synchronisation devices that they are mechanically heavily loaded in the case of heavy drawer elements and the operating lifespan is thus limited. In addition, tolerance compensation can be provided only within limits. Pinions and toothed racks are often used in rigid synchronisation devices, through which disturbing noises can be generated during the displacement of the pull-out system.
The present disclosure is directed to a pull-out system with at least two pull-out guides in which the movement of the displaceable rails is synchronised in a simple way.
In accordance with the disclosure, the synchronisation mechanism comprises at least one flexible deflection element in order to synchronise a movement of the movable rails of the at least two pull-out guides. As a result, the transfer of forces does not occur via rigid elements such as coupling rods, but the flexible deflection element ensures the synchronisation between the movable rails of the pull-out guides, which enables simple mounting and permits tolerance compensation. Even when a drawer element is pulled on one side, opening is also ensured on the opposite side of the drawer element through the synchronisation mechanism, wherein the low weight of the flexible deflection element ensures smooth movement. In addition, a very quiet and smoothly running synchronisation is achieved by using the flexible deflection element.
According to an embodiment, the synchronisation mechanism is coupled to at least one movable rail. The synchronisation mechanism can then be displaced together with the at least one movable rail, e.g. the middle rail of a pull-out guide formed by three rails.
The flexible deflection element is arranged with one section parallel to the longitudinal direction of a pull-out guide and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction on a connecting section. As a result, the connecting section can be moved together with at least one rail of the two pull-out guides, while the sections parallel to the longitudinal direction of the pull-out guides are tensioned via their deflection elements. The flexible deflection element can be guided via at least one deflection pulley on the rail. Deflection on each pull-out guide on the deflection pulley can be carried out about approximately 180°.
The flexible deflection element can be surrounded at least partly by an enclosure in a connecting section between the pull-out guides. The enclosure can also be flexibly formed as a cable conduit. The tension of the deflection element can be adjusted in a simple way via the enclosure, in that the length of the enclosure is formed in an adjustable way. The enclosure absorbs forces in the axial direction. This can occur in a simple manner by respective thread adjustments. One or several means may thus be provided in order to set the tension of the flexible deflection element. In addition, the enclosures can be guided by guide elements, preferably in the region of the deflection pulleys, so that the flexible deflection element can be transferred in a defined manner to the deflection pulleys.
The tension of the flexible deflection element can be adjusted via a spring. A defined force for pretensioning the flexible deflection element can be applied via the spring, so that errors during mounting can be avoided. The set pretension can then be fixed via a locking means, so that during a movement of a rail of the pull-out system the set pretension does not change.
The flexible deflection element may be in the form of a looped cable or belt. An element that changes very little with respect to its length can be used as a deflection element, e.g. a band or a cable or a belt. A wire cable whose length changes only marginally under a tensile load may be used as a deflection element. Alternatively, the flexible deflection element can also consist of several (for example, four) subcomponents which are at least operatively connected.
A pull-out system in accordance with the disclosure may comprise two pull-out guides, which comprise a stationary rail, a running rail and an interposed middle rail, wherein the flexible deflection element is retained on the middle rail. The flexible deflection element can then be fixed at a first connection point to the stationary rail and at the second connection point to the running rail, so that the movement of the rails of a pull-out guide is also controlled by the synchronisation mechanism. Such a sequence control ensures that the running rail moves with twice the speed as the middle rail.
Alternatively, the flexible deflection element can also be arranged together with the deflection pulleys as a separate module on at least one support, which is detachably or non-detachably connectable to the middle rail or any other rail, e.g. by means of a snap-on connection. As a result, the flexible deflection element can be retrofitted without any major effort in existing pull-out guides. It is only necessary to retrofit the connections to the at least one further rail by clipping on for example. Alternatively, the connections can be formed by elements on the rail which carries the support, or on the support per se, which interact with respectively formed regions of the at least one further rail, e.g. grooves or projections. In the case of improper use of the pull-out system, these elements can be deflected and a destruction of the synchronisation can thus be prevented.
The pull-out guide in accordance with the disclosure can further comprise a self-retracting mechanism and/or damping and/or an opening apparatus, which can be provided in addition to the synchronisation. The activator for these additional components can advantageously be arranged on the flexible deflection element. As a result of the synchronisation in accordance with the invention, an arrangement of a self-retracting mechanism or an opening apparatus on one side of the pull-out system is sufficient. Costs can thus be reduced.
The pull-out system can be used in a domestic appliance or a piece of furniture, but other applications are also possible.